November 2005

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Guatemala: Defense Minister Carlos Aldana is replaced by Gen. Francisco Bermúdez.Guinea-Bissau: Aristides Gomes is appointed and sworn in as prime minister. On November 9 a government is formed with Gomes as acting interior minister, António Isaac Monteiro as foreign minister, Hélder Proença as defense minister, and Vítor Mandinga as finance minister. Later in the month Ernesto Carvalho is named interior minister.

Azad

India: Ghulam Nabi Azad is sworn in as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.Russia: Former head of the administration of Stavropol kray (1991-95) Yevgeny Kuznetsov dies.

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5

Northern Mariana Islands: In gubernatorial elections, Benigno R. Fitial (Covenant Party) is elected with 28.1% of the vote, followed by Heinz S. Hofschneider (independent) with 27.3%, incumbent Juan N. Babauta (Republican) with 26.6%, and Froilan C. Tenorio (Democrat) with 18%. In elections to the House of Representatives, the Covenant Party wins 7 of 18 seats, the Republicans 7, the Democrats 2, and independents 2. In elections to 6 of 9 seats in the Senate, the Covenant Party wins 2, the Republicans 2, the Democrats 1, and independents 1.

6

Azerbaijan: In parliamentary elections, the ruling New Azerbaijan Party wins 58 of 119 decided seats (new elections are to be organized in 6 of the 125 constituencies), independents 42, and the Azadlig (Freedom) opposition bloc 6 (the Musavat Party 5 and the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party 1). Turnout is 42.2%.Canada: In mayoral elections in Montreal, Gérald Tremblay (Union des citoyens et des citoyennes de l'Île de Montréal) is reelected with 53.7% of the votes, defeating Pierre Bourque (Vision Montréal) with 36.3% and Richard Bergeron (Projet Montréal) with 8.5%. Turnout is 35%. In Québec, Andrée P. Boucher (independent) is elected mayor with 46.3% of the votes, defeating Claude Larose (Renouveau municipal de Québec) with 33.6%, Marc Bellemare (Vision Québec) with 10.5%, and Pierre-Michel Bouchard (Action civique de Québec) with 8.7%. Turnout is 51.9%. Boucher is sworn in on November 19.

7

India: Foreign Minister K. Natwar Singh resigns. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh takes over his portfolio.Israel: Acting Finance Minister Ehud Olmert is appointed finance minister in full capacity.Russia: President Vladimir Putin nominates incumbent Nikolay Merkushkin as head of the republic of Mordovia. Merkushkin is confirmed by the local State Assembly (44-0 with 1 abstention) on November 10.

8

Germany: The Bürgerschaft of Bremen elects Jens Böhrnsen as mayor.Liberia: In the presidential runoff, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf wins 59.4% of the vote against 40.6% for George Weah. Turnout is 61%. Johnson-Sirleaf is to be inaugurated on Jan. 16, 2006.United States: In gubernatorial elections in New Jersey, Jon Corzine (Democrat) wins against Doug Forrester (Republican), 53%-44%, and in Virginia, Tim Kaine (Democrat) defeats Jerry Kilgore (Republican), 52%-46%. Results of mayoral elections:

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10

Mexico: Former governor of México state (1975-81) Jorge Jiménez Cantú dies.Poland: The government of Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz wins a vote of confidence in the lower house (272-187).

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Burkina Faso: In presidential elections, incumbent Blaise Compaoré is reelected with 80.3% of the votes against 4.9% for Bénéwendé Stanislas Sankara. Turnout is 57.5%.

14

Argentina: The chief of government of Buenos Aires city, Aníbal Ibarra, is suspended and his deputy Jorge Telerman assumes his duties.The Gambia: Musa Gibril Bala Gaye is appointed as finance minister.

Smetanyuk

Iskhakov

Konovalov

Russia: Dmitry Medvedev is appointed first deputy prime minister and Sergey Ivanov deputy prime minister. The governor of Tyumen oblast, Sergey Sobyanin, is appointed to replace Medvedev as head of the presidential administration, and Sergey Smetanyuk becomes acting governor of Tyumen oblast. Kamil Iskhakov is appointed plenipotentiary of the president in Dalnevostochny federal district and Aleksandr Konovalov plenipotentiary in Privolzhsky federal district.Vanuatu: Willie Jimmy takes office as finance minister, following the sacking of Moana Carcasses Kalosil.

16

Russia: Former head of the administration of Ivanovo oblast (1991-96) Adolf Laptev dies.

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Falkland Islands: In parliamentary elections, 8 independents (3 incumbents and 5 new members) are elected to the Legislative Council.Russia: President Vladimir Putin nominates incumbent Eduard Rossel as governor of Sverdlovsk oblast. On November 21 Rossel is confirmed by the lower (24-0) and upper (19-0) chambers of the local legislative assembly.

Samaraweera

Sri Lanka: In presidential elections, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse of the United People's Freedom Alliance is elected with 50.3% of the vote against 48.4% for former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party. Turnout is 73.7%. Rajapakse is sworn in as president on November 19. On November 21 Ratnasiri Wickremanayake is sworn in as prime minister. In the new government installed on November 23, President Rajapakse takes up the defense and finance portfolios himself while Mangala Samaraweera becomes foreign minister and Sarath Amunugama home affairs minister.

18

Congo (Kinshasa): Marco Banguli is named finance minister.Macedonia: Former secretary of the League of Communists (1969-82) and president of the Presidency (1982-83) Angel Cemerski dies.Russia: President Vladimir Putin nominates Mikhail Men as governor of Ivanovo oblast. He is confirmed by the local legislative assembly (32-0) on November 22.Uzbekistan: Ruslan Mirzayev is appointed to replace Kadyr Gulyamov as defense minister.

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Canada: In mayoral elections in Vancouver, Sam Sullivan (Vancouver Civic Non-Partisan Association) is elected with 47.3% of the votes, defeating Jim Green (Vision Vancouver) with 44.5%. Turnout is 32.4%.

Kumar

India: In state assembly elections in Bihar on October 18 and 26 and November 13 and 19, the National Democratic Alliance wins 144 of 243 seats, including 88 for the Janata Dal (United) and 55 for the Bharatiya Janata Party; the Rashtriya Janata Dal and its allies win 67, including 54 for the RJD and 9 for the Indian National Congress; and the Lok Jan Shakti Party and its allies win 12. Turnout is 45.9%. Nitish Kumar is sworn in as chief minister on November 24.Palestine: Finance Minister Salam Fayyad resigns.

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Switzerland: Former president of the Council of State of Genève (1969-70, 1975-76) Jean Babel dies.Yemen: Former acting prime minister (1994) Muhammad Said al-Attar dies.

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Merkel

Steinmeier

Germany: The Bundestag elects Angela Merkel as chancellor (397-202 with 12 abstentions). She is then appointed by the president and sworn in. Her cabinet is then appointed and sworn in, including Frank-Walter Steinmeier as foreign minister, Franz Josef Jung as defense minister, Wolfgang Schäuble as interior minister, and Peer Steinbrück as finance minister.Uzbekistan: Rustam Azimov is appointed finance minister.

23

Cayman Islands: Stuart Jack is sworn in as governor.Jersey: In the elections of deputies, 29 independents are elected. Turnout is 33.9%.Kenya: President Mwai Kibaki dissolves his cabinet.

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Canada: Geraldine Van Bibber is appointed commissioner of Yukon, effective December 1.

Bakhit

Jordan: Prime Minister Adnan Badran resigns and Marouf al-Bakhit is designated as the new prime minister. Bakhit is sworn in on November 27 with his cabinet, in which he is also defense minister, while Abdul Ilah Khatib is foreign minister, Ziad Fariz finance minister, and Eid al-Fayez interior minister.

Yakushev

Russia: President Vladimir Putin nominates Vladimir Yakushev as governor of Tyumen oblast. On the same day Yakushev is confirmed by the local Duma (23-0) and sworn in.

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Zimbabwe: In senatorial elections, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front wins 43 of 50 elected seats and the Movement for Democratic Change 7. Turnout is between 15 and 20%. (With 10 traditional chiefs and 6 senators appointed by the president, the total number of senators is 66.)

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Gabon: In presidential elections, incumbent Omar Bongo Ondimba (Gabonese Democratic Party) wins 79.2% of the vote, Pierre Mamboundou (Gabonese People's Union) 13.6%, and Zacharie Myboto (independent) 6.6%. Turnout is 63.6%.Honduras: In presidential elections, Manuel Zelaya (Liberal Party) wins 49.8% of the vote and Porfirio Lobo Sosa (National Party) 46.1%. Turnout is 55.1%. In parliamentary elections, the Liberal Party wins 62 of 128 seats, the National Party 55, the Democratic Unification Party 5, the Christian Democratic Party 4, and the Innovation and Unity Party-Social Democracy 2.Russia: Parliamentary elections are held in Chechnya. In the elections to the People's Assembly (lower chamber), the United Russia party wins 60.7% of the vote (19 of 38 seats), the Communist Party 12.2% (3), the Union of Rightist Forces 12.4% (1), the Eurasian Union 3.9% (1), and Yabloko 3.2% (0); independents win 14 seats. In the Council of the Republic (upper chamber), United Russia wins 14 of 20 seats, the Communist Party 3, and the Union of Rightist Forces 3. Turnout is 69.6%.

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Taiana

Argentina: A cabinet reshuffle is announced, effective December 1. Jorge Taiana will be the new foreign minister, Nilda Garré defense minister, and Felisa Miceli economy minister.Canada: The House of Commons passes (171-133) a no-confidence motion in the government of Prime Minister Paul Martin.Madagascar: Gen. Charles Rabemananjara is appointed as new interior minister.

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Anguilla: Andrew George is appointed as new governor, to take office in June 2006.India: Shivraj Singh Chauhan is sworn in as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.Indonesia: Agusrin M. Najamudin is sworn in as governor of Bengkulu.

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Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development: Former Mexican foreign minister José Ángel Gurría Treviño is appointed as new secretary-general, to take office June 1, 2006.